Seahawks defeat Rams 20-13
What a regular season finale.
I couldn’t decide where to start on this piece, so I took a page out of the Seahawks books. They thanked the 12th man for the support and passion we bring to CenturyLink Field at the game on Sunday.
I want to thank the 2012 Seattle Seahawks for August 8 and all the other days filled with blood, sweat and tears to get us to this point. I believe it was Bill Parcells who said, “You get paid for practice, the games you play for free.”
We may only get to see the games, but it is just the tip of a very difficult iceberg.
The preparation and hard work that we don’t see is where the games are won and lost.
When I go back and look at tape from the first few weeks of the season, then look at the team today, I am completely amazed at how far they have come. It is beyond impressive to see that just about every person on the team has improved to such a degree.
Pete Carroll deserves to be the Coach of the Year, not just for him but his entire staff.
The Game
The officiating in the game was lousy. I’m not saying it was lopsided, I’m saying it was a terribly officiated game all the way around.
The refs were calling ticky tack penalties all game, and then when players were getting chippy they didn’t do enough. At one point in the game I felt like the officials were about to lose control, and that had me concerned.
Pete Carroll deserves to be coach of the year!
The Rams didn’t have to worry about getting a player injured for the following week, but for the Seahawks it was a real concern.
The way they won
The way Seattle won is almost as important as the fact that Seattle won. As Pete Carroll mentioned in his post game press conference, the team hadn’t been forced to dig deep and pull out a victory recently.
In the post season the Seahawks will find themselves in a similar situation and will be able to fall back on the recent experience.
On the other hand, it is always nice to go into the playoffs riding a winning streak, as opposed to coming off of a loss.
It is a young team, a lot of them have never been in this situation, so the Seahawks can use all the help they can get.
Records
The Seahawks fell just short of a couple records this year. At the end of the day I would argue that they are the best team in Seahawks history. Consistency is lacking, but I do believe the 2012 Seahawks could beat the 2005 Seahawks if both teams played their best game, and I have three reasons why:
Russell Wilson is a super star, I love Matt Hasselbeck but he did not have the star power of the rookie.
Richard Sherman is arguably the best cornerback in all of football. In my opinion the best corner the Seahawks have ever had.
Marshawn Lynch is a way better running back than Shaun Alexander ever was. Shaun may have had better numbers, but that was because his offensive line & Mack Strong created huge running lanes for him.
The 2012 Seattle Seahawks did manage to set, or at least tie, a few records this season.
Steve Largent Award winner Russell Wilson set the Seahawks single season passer rating record at 100.0 beating out Matt Hasselbeck’s record of 98.2 set in 2005
Russell Wilson tied Peyton Manning’s NFL rookie record of 26 touchdown passes
Bobby Wagner set a new record for tackles by a rookie with 140 this season. The previous record was set by Terry Beeson (136) who holds the team record with 153 tackles.
Seahawks defense allowed the fewest points (245) in team history and led the NFL by almost 2 points per game.
Final thoughts
It was a great season but now it is time to focus on the playoffs, and the Washington Redskins. I could see this team making a serious playoff run if they can play like they are capable of playing.
I don’t think there is a team that can beat them on their best day.
Remember, Pete doesn’t ask his players to play outside themselves, he just wants them to play to their ability. If they do that the season will end on February 2, 2013, in New Orleans.
On a sad note, I found out we lost a 12th man shortly after the Packers game. Charlie was a season ticket holder, a Seahawks fan, a father, a husband and a friend.
One of those people you feel lucky to have known.
Rest In Peace my friend! For Charlie, Go Seahawks!!!!!
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE SEAHAWKS BLOG PAGE IN OUR CLUBHOUSE SECTION AT NWSB!

You'll
also
receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web.
Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!

Company Info

Help

What is Yardbarker?

Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.